At least 20 years after it disappeared, a sign taken from the Wren High School parking lot has been returned.

"It was a real surprise," said Wren Assistant Principal Kyle Whitfield as he looked over the two-sided, handmade sign that once hung near the entrance of the student parking lot. That was long before Whitfield and most staff members began working at the Anderson County District 1 school.

One side of the sign proclaims "This is Hurricane Territory!" to drivers entering the parking lot. The other side states "Drive Safely ... the Life You Save Might Be a Hurricane."

The sign disappeared at least 20 years ago, school officials estimate. It was returned by a former student earlier this month.

"We're not sure about the details on how it came up missing, but we're not really concerned about it at this point," Whitfield said. "Young people sometimes do things they later regret, and I'm guessing that was the case here.

"We're just glad to have it back," he said.

Kyle Whitfield, assistant principal, said he likes the new driving safety programs and hopes the school doesn't have to add any more names to the memorial wall. The wall was created to remember Wren High School students who passed away, many in auto accidents, while still attending the school.(Photo: Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail)

Front-desk clerk Sue Baab, who has worked at Wren for 21 years, said a former student brought the sign to the school's main entrance earlier this month. The person said they had longed intended to return the sign after it "showed up in our basement" years ago. Baab did not recall when the sign disappeared.

Whitfield said the school will re-install the sign, probably near the parking lot again.

"We'll put it back up," said Whitfield, a 2002 Westside High graduate. "We just need to figure out the best place for it."